Shell

Shell is the second largest oil and gas company in the world. It operates in more than 145 countries.

Shell's operations demonstrate how badly companies can affect the communities they operate in.

Children by one of Shells gas flares in Nigeria

Shell in Nigeria

Shell has been working in the Niger Delta since 1956, causing problems to:

• local communities - gas flares burn day and night, roaring like jet engines and polluting the air with thick sooty particles that stick to almost everything and have serious health impacts.
• livelihoods - oil is a root of conflict and suffering in Nigeria. Over 1000 law suits have been filed against Shell, yet it still refuses to pay compensation costs.
• the environment - polluting oil spills and fires have occurred for decades due to Shell's rusting pipes seriously affecting local villages, biodiversity, and contributing towards climate change.

Where oil reigns, life is hell

Oronto Douglas, Envirnmental Lawer, Niger Delta

The Nigerian government banned gas flaring in 1969, but Shell continues to flout the law.

Shell around the world

Nigeria is not the only place where Shell is putting its profits before the lives of local people and the environment. Behind the Shine (PDF†)

In Russia, Shell's Sakhalin II project (PDF†) is threatening:

• the remaining western Pacific grey whales
• Sakhalin's rich biodiversity
• the livelihoods of the island's people

Other examples include

• Refinery hazards in Durban, South Africa
• Healh problems in Louisana
• Contamination in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Watch footage about Shell's operations

This footage was sent to MPs before the Shell AGM in 2006.

Press for change

Email the Natural History Museum
Ask them not to renew Shell's sponsorship of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Resource

Shell. Wildlife Destroyer of the Year?
(PDF† 60K) October 2006
This briefing outlines some of the impacts that Shell is currently having on wildlife, as well as highlighting the hypocracy of Shell sponsoring the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Broken Promises
(PDF† 79K) June 2006
This briefing outlines how Shell's non-compliance with the OECD Guidelines harms people and the
environment, and why voluntary self regulation is not enough to protect them from the activities of companies like Shell.

Lessons not learned- the other Shell Report
(PDF† - 505 KB) June 2005
This report tells the real story of living on Shell's doorstep around the world, that Shell's reports fail to mention.

Behind the Shine - the other Shell Report
(PDF† - 840 KB) June 2004
Highlights Shell's poor performance in the area of corporate social responsibility using accounts from people who live next door to Shell around the world.

Failing the Challenge - the other Shell Report 2002
(PDF† - 300 KB) April 2003
Using first hand accounts from communities affected by Shell, this report shows that Shell still has a long way to go to meet its public commitment to a green future.

†To view PDF files you will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Visually impaired users can get extra help with these documents from access.adobe.com.

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Main image © Elaine Gilligan/ Friends of the Earth